Many people are added as an authorized user to an individual’s account to help in rebuilding credit or to establish credit. This can have many benefits especially if the individual has a long payment history without any delinquencies. It is also beneficial if there is a low balance kept on the card since credit scores go down as balances go up. With benefits there are also some drawbacks to being an authorized user. If the account holder does become delinquent, this will reflect on the authorized user’s credit report as well. It is important to know and understand the potential risks of being added as an authorized user. A solid account will help improve your credit score, but a missed payment by the cardholder will have adverse affects on both of your credit reports. If that is the case and damage has already been done credit repair services may be able to help clean up the mess.